Nutrition habits of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes changed in a 10 years span

• DOI: 10.1111/pedi.13053
• Publication Date: 2020-05-17T05:58:00Z
• Authors: Claudio Maffeis; Francesca Tomasselli; Mara Tommasi; Irene Bresadola; Tatiana Trandev; Elena Fornari; Marco Marigliano; Anita Morandi; Francesca Olivieri; Claudia Piona
• Keywords: Male; 2. Zero hunger; HbA1c; Adolescent; diabetes technology; type 1 diabetes; Nutritional Status; Feeding Behavior; Nutrition Surveys; History, 21st Century; Diet; 3. Good health; 03 medical and health sciences; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; 0302 clinical medicine; children and adolescents; Italy; Humans; Female; diet; Child

Diet plays a key role in the treatment of type 1 diabetes (T1D). Dietary habits changed rapidly in the last decades and few data are available on recent dietary changes in children and adolescents with T1D.To test the hypothesis that diet composition changed in a 10-year period in children and adolescents with T1D.Two hundred and twenty-nine T1D subjects (M/F:121/108) aged 6 to 16 years were recruited: 114 (group A) enrolled in 2009, not using CGM and/or CSII, and 115 (group B) enrolled in 2019. Anthropometric biochemical (HbA1c, lipid profile), diet, and insulin therapy parameters were compared between the two groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed with HbA1c as dependent variable (HbA1c > 58 mmol/mol = 1) and nutritional variables and technology use as independent ones.Energy intake of group A was not statistically different from that of group B. Group B had a significantly (P < 0.001) higher protein and lipids intake and lower total carbohydrate and fiber intake than group A. HbA1c was significantly (P < 0.01) lower in group B than in group A. Logistic regression analysis showed that MUFA (OR 0.83, 95%CI:0.693-0.998), fiber intake (OR 0.82, 95%CI:0.699-0.0969), and technology use (OR 0.15, 95%CI:0.031-0.685), adjusted for age, gender, BMI, energy intake and diabetes duration, were associated with a HbA1c higher than 58 mmol/mol) (R2 = 0.27, P < 0.05).In a 10-year period, diet composition of children and adolescents with T1D changed and glucometabolic control improved. Fiber and MUFA intake showed a positive effect on HbA1c, independent from technology use, supporting the importance of educating children with T1D and families to maintain healthy eating habits.